Every once in a great while, we two Washashores go to a restaurant and walk away with two completely different opinions. That happened this past weekend when we went with a small group of friends to see Flydown, one of our favorite Cape Cod bands, at the LandShark Bar & Grill, the restaurant located within the recently opened Margaritaville Resort on Iyannough Road in Hyannis. One of us enjoyed the experience and one of us didn’t. This overly long review explains why. Bear with me.
First, I have to note that when we heard that Margaritaville was going to take over the former home of the Cape Codder Resort, both Audrey and I were opposed to the idea. We just didn’t feel it would be a good fit. For one thing, although this Caribbean-themed resort celebrates beach life, the beaches it celebrates are not anything like Cape Cod beaches. We couldn’t see why anyone would want to come to the Cape to have an artificial Caribbean or Key West experience. Second, we were worried the resort would throw up large, gaudy exterior displays that would be an eyesore for those of us who prefer the quaint charm and character of Cape Cod. Fortunately, aside from a few out-of-place palm trees, that didn’t happen.
Finally, we just aren’t fans of the idea of large, multinational entertainment corporations bringing their chains to the Cape. We love that the Cape’s restaurants and entertainment centers are small, mostly family-owned businesses, and we worry that the arrival of Margaritaville might be a precursor to other big amusement park–type chains moving their businesses here. We love the Cape as it is and don’t want it to be overrun by Hard Rock Cafes, Six Flag Amusement Parks, or Legolands.
Given all those feelings, when Margaritaville finally opened, we thought maybe we’d just avoid it. But when we heard that Flydown was going to play there this past Saturday night, we decided to give it a try. Flydown was amazing as always, and they did their usual great job of getting the crowd on their feet. As for Margaritaville and LandShark … well, as I said, I enjoyed them both while Audrey didn’t care for them at all.
For my part, I liked the opportunity to pretend, for at least a few hours, that we were on a mini vacation to a tropical island — an illusion enhanced by the tropical decor and the large number of resort guests wandering around in bathing suits. On this particular night, the resort was packed, no doubt a reflection of the fact that our visit coincided with the tail end of a school vacation week.
From the road, Margaritaville looks like a modestly sized Econo-Lodge with a smattering of small palm trees out front, but once you’re inside, you quickly realize how huge this place is. When you enter the building, you come into a vast foyer, at the center of which sits a giant statue of a teal flip-flop, a pop top, and a lobster. They are clearly there to give you a bit of a chuckle upon your arrival. For the most part, aside from the flip-flop statue, I felt that the decor of the place was understated and attractive and did a good job of supporting the resort’s Caribbean theme. Audrey, on the other hand, felt the decor bordered on tacky and couldn’t quite get herself to join me in my Caribbean fantasy.
In addition to the flip-flop, the large foyer accommodates a gift shop on one side and a resort registration desk on the other. Behind the desk is a giant screen that plays nonstop videos of tropical scenes.
Beyond the foyer, the building stretches out for a surprising distance. If you want to take a peek at the water park, you have to walk quite a way down several attractively decorated hotel hallways and past the Fin City Arcade. But I thought it was worth the stroll to get a glimpse of the giant indoor waterslide and the relaxing-looking waters of the lazy river. There were quite a few kids enjoying them both as parents looked on from the nearby bar areas.
Also off the foyer is the LandShark Bar & Grill, which is where we spent our evening. Like the rest of the resort, it’s huge. At the entrance of the restaurant is an expansive bar rimmed with banks of TV screens. Surrounding the bar are numerous tables and high-tops, and still more TV screens. I thought it was impressive. We recently did a blog post about the “16 Best Places on the Cape to Watch the Big Game,” and now I’m thinking this could be a good addition to that list.
As you move further into the restaurant, you come to a large dining area filled with rows of booths and long tables. If you need a place to accommodate large parties, this could be a good option. On the night we were there, the restaurant was nearly full during the dinner hours, primarily with young families. We think the majority of the crowd consisted of tourists, but we suspect there were at least a few other Cape Codders there as well. We deduced that they were the ones who had coats hanging on the backs of their chairs. They were definitely not the ones wearing bathing suits. Eventually, the crowd thinned out a bit, and by the time Flydown started playing at 8 p.m., most of the young kids had gone.
The wood paneled walls of the big dining area made for a somewhat noisy dining experience. While Audrey found it too noisy, I was mostly able to tune out the din. In fact, I think I enjoyed the noise a bit, as it helped enhance the Caribbean resort fantasy I was indulging in. Still, we both were concerned how the band would sound in such an echoey atmosphere. Thankfully, we thought they sounded just fine. One real problem the room has is that it has no dance floor to speak of. So when Flydown started playing, people started dancing in the small area in front of the band — which unfortunately placed them directly in the path of the servers trying to get to and from the bar. Although the dancers were having a great time, more than once the manager yelled at people to get out of the way. Not an ideal situation. But it’s a problem that could easily be fixed by removing just a couple of dining tables. We’d encourage the owners to do that if they hope to have this be a viable nighttime entertainment venue.
Finally, regarding the food, the consensus among our group was that some things were better than others. I thought my hamburger and fries were great, and the spinach and artichoke dip got rave reviews. But the fish tacos were too light on fish, and the salads, though pretty to look at, didn’t quite satisfy our taste buds the way that salads at other Cape restaurants have. The good news is that, as you might expect, the menu features a wide variety of margaritas. We tried a few and thought they were fun and flavorful.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery and the party vibe of the place, and I look forward to going back at some point. But I think Audrey is going to take a pass. The Caribbean fantasy didn’t work for her, and she just feels there are better places to go for an evening of dining and dancing. Plus, she’s still not convinced that a place like Margaritaville is a good fit for the Cape. I don’t know. Maybe she’s right.
What about you? Have you been to Margaritaville? If not, do you plan to go? If you have been there, what did you think? Is it a harmless bit of fun escapism for locals and an appropriate vacation destination for tourists, or is it an intrusion on Cape Cod culture that could be opening the door to other similar chains? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
–By Steve Porter
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